Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley has today announced the “What Works In Communities Fund“, a call for funding under the What Works prevention and early intervention initiative, which is funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund.
The 2026 What Works In Communities Fund seeks to empower communities by supporting community and voluntary organisations that deliver prevention and early intervention initiatives for children and young people. In line with the What Works strands, all projects funded will need to demonstrate how their work will generate practical and actionable insights, and how this learning will contribute to the prevention and early intervention sector.
The total value of the fund is €400,000, and organisations may apply for funding between €10,000 and €40,000.
Applicants are advised to thoroughly read through the Guidance Note and the Terms and Conditions document prior to completing and submitting an application. These documents are linked below:
The deadline for applications is 5pm, Friday 31st July 2026. Applications must be submitted (ideally in Word document format) by email to WhatWorks@dcde.gov.ie. The email must be sent from (or CC) the signatory to the application. Hard copies delivered via post will not be accepted.
Applicants should submit any questions about the fund or the application process to WhatWorks@dcde.gov.ie. Anonymised versions of these questions and the DCDE responses will be published on the following dedicated page: